10 Tips for Getting Kids to Go Low Tech This Holiday Season

Do you feel as if sounds of ringtones, alerts and push notifications replace those of sleigh bells, music and crackling fires during today’s holidays? Most likely, families of your patients, clients or students feel the same. For audiologists and speech-language pathologists craving a lower-tech holiday season professionally and personally, share these 10 tips to make this goal a reality and help families instead embrace conversation, communication and bonding this holiday season. As always, children who use low- and high-tech augmentative and alternative communication devices (AAC) should continue to use them at all times—and in an interactive way. Editor’s note: Also enjoy this non-tech holiday gift guide to help kids reduce screen time.  Here are some screen-reduction tips, courtesy of the ASHA Healthy Communication & Popular Technology Initiative: Model desired tech behavior and values. There’s been press lately reframing the technology conversation—it’s not kids’ overuse but parents’ overuse that’s the real issue—driving many parents to strive for a better balance. The holidays are the perfect time to model good habits, even if only in the short term when everyone gathers together. Children of all ages closely observe how their parents use technology—and the value they place on it. A recent ASHA-Read Aloud 15 MINUTES national survey found that 41 percent of parents of young children said their kids ask them to put down their devices and ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: blogs